


The Inquisition Needs Ten Silk Scarves

by caitirin



Series: The Chronicles of Teithranen Lavellan: Plant-Obsessed Soft-Hearted Inquisitor [16]
Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Dorian is distracting, Dorian sass, Established Relationship, M/M, Presents, Snuggling, Varric Tethras is a Good Friend, Varric always knows, Varric ships it, dorian is hard to shop for, implied sex, orlesians suck, post-coital cuddles, scarf dance, signy trevelyan, soft hearted inquisitors, teithranen lavellan, ten silk scarves
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-17
Updated: 2018-05-17
Packaged: 2019-05-08 01:21:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,144
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14683473
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/caitirin/pseuds/caitirin
Summary: The Inquisitor goes to Val Royeaux to get a present for Dorian.----“Ten. I see you’re really trying to spoil him.”  Varric lowered his voice.  “Say, I heard there’s this dance involving silk scarves.  Can’t recall if it’s ten or not...”Tei’s ears turned pink.  “I have no idea.”“Of course not, don’t know what I was thinking.”  Varric grinned.





	The Inquisition Needs Ten Silk Scarves

**Author's Note:**

> My Inquisitor's name is Teithranen Lavellan (Tei).
> 
> Thanks to Elaby for the beta read!
> 
> Minor spoilers for Dorian Romance dialog at Hallamshiral during Wicked Eyes and Wicked Hearts

The owners of the fancy boutiques in Val Royeaux might have known that Tei was the Inquisitor and the Herald of Andraste, but even that knowledge couldn’t  _ quite _ stop them from hovering around him like they thought he was about to steal something.  And today he didn’t have Dorian with him to shame them into behaving more respectfully. Pointed ears and a tattooed face seemed to be all they needed to convince them that he was trying to rob them blind.

Tei did his best to ignore them.  He was looking through a shop where they sold every manner of clothing so long as it was ridiculous and impractical, or made of gold and silk and enchanted unicorn hair.  It was very difficult for Tei to look at all this wasteful opulence and not think about the amount of food it would have paid for. An entire Dalish clan could have eaten well for a year on the amount of money these clothes cost. 

But he wasn’t here for himself.  He was here for Dorian. He wanted to choose a gift for him.  He’d asked Varric and Signy Trevelyan along with him. Varric had been a good friend since Haven and Signy was one of Cullen’s subordinates; Tei met her when he’d asked Cullen to help him figure out a training regimen to get him in better shape.  Signy had been more than willing to help and she’d been kicking his ass several times a week for months now. They mostly trained with a quarterstaff since it was the closest thing to a mage staff. Signy teased him that he moved too much like a dancer and not enough like a warrior, but had to admit that he was getting stronger.

“I just don’t know.”  Tei looked at a tunic with gold thread.  “I know he likes expensive things, but what if it doesn’t fit or if it’s the wrong color or bad fashion?”  He swept his eyes across a rack of gloves. “What do I know about fashion?” He pressed his fingertips over his lips thoughtfully.  “What should I get him?”

Signy snorted.  "You brought the wrong girl with you to give advice about this kind of thing," she said.  "But what about something that would go with everything? The gloves, for instance. Or... I can't imagine Dorian wearing hats.  Maybe something that's not clothes, like a fancy, gold-embossed pouch?"

Tei ran his fingers over the gloves.  That wasn’t a bad idea. “I just want it to be... special.”

Varric chuckled.  “Anything that comes from you is going to be special, Leafy.  What about a good bottle of wine?”

Tei shrugged.  “I don’t know good enough from bad, and I guess they could recommend something, but I wanted it to be something that _ I  _ picked out.”  Tei picked up a pair of gloves.  Maybe they’d be good enough. He turned them over in his hands and felt the supple leather under his fingers.  Then a flash of deep ash grey caught his eyes and he set down the gloves. Just beyond the display of gloves there was a rack of scarves.  He walked over to them and brushed his fingers over a scarf. It was silk. It almost felt like the fabric was melting through his fingers as he touched it.  He picked one up and it unfurled. It felt decadently luxurious and Tei touched it to his cheek, feeling the softness. 

Tei’s ears perked up as he remembered something.  A singular brightly shining moment from the absolute nightmarish hellscape of the ball at Halamshiral.  

_ If you can find me ten silk scarves, I've got a dance that will really shock them. _

Tei felt the heat in his face.  He didn’t need to look up into the shop mirror to know that he was blushing.  Silk scarves. He looked back down at the beautiful fabric. It was exactly the same grey as Dorian’s eyes.  He smiled at it, imagining giving Dorian a box of ten of these scarves. Would he remember his off-hand comment at the ball?  Tei giggled to himself. He cleared his throat and turned to the omnipresent hovering shopkeeper. “I’ll take ten of these. Please wrap them up for me.”

Varric looked at the scarves.  He nodded approvingly. “Ten. I see you’re really trying to spoil him.”

Tei was fairly sure Dorian hadn’t told the rest of the Inner Circle about the scarf thing, but he was also pretty sure that his blushing would be a big clue that there was something more to his gift.  Tei just coughed politely and accepted the box of scarves once it was wrapped up and paid for. “Silk is warm, and he’s always complaining about the cold.”

Signy shrugged.  “Makes sense. Maybe I should get one for Josephine.  The weather really got to her back in Haven."

“Great idea,”  Tei said.

Signy walked over to choose a scarf for her girlfriend.  

Varric lowered his voice.  “Say, I heard there’s this dance involving silk scarves.  Can’t recall if it’s ten or not...”

Tei’s ears turned pink.  “I have no idea.” 

“Of course not, don’t know what I was thinking.”  Varric grinned.

 

\--

 

Tei carried the box of scarves up to the library.  He held the box close to his chest as he walked up the stairs.  He found Dorian reading in his favorite chair in the alcove. 

Dorian looked up from his book and smiled as he saw the Inquisitor.  “Always a sight for sore eyes.” He laid aside his book. “I hear you went to Val Royeaux without me.  So cruel of you to leave me behind when you’re visiting somewhere with good wine.” 

Tei held out the box.  “I didn’t have any wine... but I did get you a little something while I was there.”  

Dorian smiled.  “You do spoil me so, Amatus.”  He accepted the box with a smile and untied the ribbon and lifted the lid.  He quirked an eyebrow at what he saw inside. He lifted the scarf. “This is quite lovely-”  He paused, seeing more grey silk underneath, he lifted a second scarf and his lips twitched up into a mischievous smile.  “I take it there are ten of these?”

Tei pressed his hands to his cheeks, already getting red in the face.  “Maybe, probably. Yes.”

Dorian draped one of the scarves around his neck and leaned in, pulling Tei’s hands away from his face.  He held Tei’s wrists gently in his hands and backed him up.

Tei felt his heart beating more quickly.  He let Dorian push him back against the bookshelves.  

Dorian kissed him lingeringly, holding Tei’s wrists on either side of his head.  

Tei gasped into the kiss.  He’d been hoping Dorian would appreciate the gift, and it seemed like he was.  Tei’s eyes fluttered closed and he felt his knees getting a little weak. He blinked dreamily up at Dorian when he broke the kiss.  He laughed a little. “I take it you like the present?”

Dorian smiled.  “Subtle, understated, elegant.  All things I like.” He nipped at Tei’s earlobe.  

Tei shivered against him and bit his lower lip.

“Drop by your quarters in about an hour.  I believe I owe you a dance,” Dorian all but purred into his ear.

Tei found it difficult to form words suddenly and almost slid down the bookcase when Dorian let go of his wrists.  He stared after him as Dorian carried the box under his arm and ambled sensually towards the stairs. Tei breathed out and then fanned himself with his hand.  He pushed a hand back through his hair and wondered what the hell he was going to do for an hour.

 

\--

 

It had been worth the wait.  Tei lay utterly spent on Dorian’s magnificent chest, silk scarves scattered all over them and all over the room.  Dorian was lazily brushing the rolled hem of one back and forth across Tei’s back while Tei purred with satisfaction.  Tei smiled sleepily up at Dorian. “That... was magnificent.” 

“And here I thought you didn’t like dancing.”  Dorian nipped at Tei’s cheek.

Tei leaned into it with a chuckle.  “Maybe I just like  _ your _ dancing.”  Tei kissed him, savoring the way Dorian’s lips were so soft and slightly swollen from earlier.  

“Oh I could tell from your  _ enthusiastic _ reaction that you liked that dance.”  Dorian smiled, very pleased with himself.  “Incidentally, I would love to know what those phrases meant.  You sound exquisite when you’re coming undone for me.”

Tei laughed.  The color in his cheeks was deepening.  “Maybe someday.” At first he’d found it embarrassing, but seeing how much it turned Dorian on, and how much Dorian returned the favor, he’d stopped trying to hold himself back.  He wasn’t that loud anyway, Tei would have died of embarrassment if he thought others were overhearing them, but his room in Skyhold was far enough removed from the rest of the keep that so long as the windows were closed, the sounds didn’t carry too far.  

Dorian caught Tei’s eye.  “Care to...”

“Inquisit you again?”  Tei laughed. “I would love to, but I have work to do.”

“You always have work to do,”  Dorian said petulantly. “I think you’re cheating on me with the Inquisition.”

Tei snorted.  “You shouldn’t worry.  The Inquisition could never satisfy me like you can.”  Tei rolled off Dorian towards the edge of the bed.

Dorian caught hold of him, pressing up against his back, throwing a leg over Tei’s legs, effectively trapping him.  “Can’t someone else save the world for a few more hours?” He pulled Tei back against his chest.

Tei smiled, and curled his hand around Dorian’s as it rested over his chest.  “I doubt it. They keep telling me I’m the Inquisitor, probably means that I have to run the thing.”

Dorian pressed kisses to the back of Tei’s neck, planting kisses carefully up his neck and then along Tei’s sensitive ears.

Tei gasped and reached back, grabbing hold of Dorian’s hip.  “Hng, that is-” Without thinking he arched his neck to give Dorian better access.  “Cheating!” 

Dorian laughed.

The vibration of Dorian’s laughter combined with him toying with Tei’s ear was almost too much, but then Dorian slid his hand across Tei’s hip and across his stomach, sliding downwards.

Tei grabbed Dorian’s wrist.  He held it fast. “I thought you weren’t going to use your powers for evil.”

Dorian reached.  “I came down south to do good works.”  He kissed the back of Tei’s neck again.  “I think you qualify as good works.”

Tei laughed loudly.  “That is absolutely your worst line yet!” He loosened his grip on Dorian’s wrist.  He twisted to look back at Dorian. “Vhenan, you know I’d like nothing more than to stay here and let you... work.”  He let his eyes rove hungrily over Dorian’s body, only partly covered by a scarf or two. “But if I don’t meet Cullen down in the yard he’s going to come up here and find me.”  

Dorian dragged his fingers down Tei’s inner thigh.  “Let him, he’d probably enjoy the show.”

It was entirely too tempting to let Dorian continue exploring him, but Tei knew he shouldn’t.  He gently removed Dorian’s hand and pressed kisses to his fingertips. He disentangled himself.  “But I would like very much to continue this later.”

Dorian heaved an overly dramatic sigh.  He laid on his stomach on the bed and watched Tei hunting around the room for his hastily discarded clothing.  “If duty compels you, I suppose you have no choice. Tragic though your departure is, I do rather like watching you leave.”

Tei smiled.  And then took his sweet time easing his small clothes and leathers back up over his rear, moving slowly in what he hoped was a sexy way so he could reward Dorian for his  _ admirable _ restraint.

 

\--

 

An hour or two later, Tei was walking across the courtyard of Skyhold.  Cullen had some ideas about troop training exercises that he wanted to go over with Tei in addition to some information about Corypheus’ research into elven ruins.  Tei had been paying rapt attention to Cullen until he heard a whistled tuned that was familiar. He looked up and over Cullen’s shoulder and saw Dorian sauntering across the courtyard.  He was wearing his normal armor, but around his neck Tei caught the sight of a flash of grey silk. Dorian winked at him.

“Inquisitor?”  

Tei snapped back to Cullen.  “I-- Sorry, what?” Tei felt his ears turning red.

Dorian just ran his fingers over the silk and turned to walk back up the stairs to the great hall.

Cullen turned to look in the direction Tei had been distracted.  

“So, troop movements!”  Tei forced himself to refocus on whatever Cullen had been saying.  There would be time to make Dorian pay for that later. Maybe it would involve more scarves...


End file.
